Home » Music » R&B/Soul Music » Music Greats

Music Greats

© Paula Chase-Hyman

Call me a sentimental fool, but I find myself waxing nostalgic about music more often these days. I think it has something to do with my turning 30 and having to answer my six year-old daughter's questions like, "Michael Jackson has brothers?"

Don't you wish that some things would just never change? Especially when it comes to music. I have no doubt my parents and their parents before them felt the same way. We've all heard the standard, "This is nothing like the music from my day" speech. But honestly, I'm starting to at least think that, if not actually launching into the speech, a lot more often with the songs my daugther likes. God help me, but she likes all of today's pop icons including Britteny and the Backstreet Boys. And yes, she has Bahaman's "Who Let The Dogs Out." It's enough to make anyone over the age of 25 run out of the room screaming!

But this is less about my daughters taste in music than it is about two really great artists who, if there is a God, will never lose their place in musical history - Prince and Michael Jackson. Forgive me if they're not truly R&B artists, but that's really the point - they've both transcended categorization in terms of music, culture, style and lyrics.

On my way home from work I was treated to a mini-Prince concert by DC's local R&B/Hip-Hop stations. He's in town tonight, the third or fourth city on his tour, so every station within a 60 mile radius has been playing his music all week.

Then I get home and VH-1's new show, "King of Video" was featuring 2 hours of Michael Jackson. The man hasn't had a true hit in a few years, but seeing his entire musical career through video reminded me quickly why he was and will likely always remain, the King of Pop.

So I got to thinking and my loyal readers know how dangerous that can be. But I got to thinking, what in the world happens as these two age? They're both in their early 40's, I believe.

We'll always have their music on "wax" as their legacy, but selfishly I wish they'd never grow too old to mesmerize us in videos and on stage. Never too old to remind us through their work that music is very powerful.

It never ceases to amaze me that listening to both artists' music from the early part of their careers to the current, can conjure up memories so strong that they can make you laugh or cry out loud.

The copyright of the article Music Greats in R&B/Soul Music is owned by Paula Chase-Hyman. Permission to republish Music Greats in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.